New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-02-03
DARING MASKED BURGLARS.
THE JERSEY CITY POsT-oFFICE ROBBED.
wAIChMAN AND JANIrOR BOUND AND GAGGED
THE SAFE REsIsrs ATTAcK-LITTLE
MONEY OBTAINED

/
| MONEY OBTAINED
Seven masked burglars broke into the Jersey City
Post Office on Tuesday night and spent nearly five
hours in trying to break open the safes bat without
success They bound and gagged the watchmsn the
Jahitor and the Jantors wife, used chisels ana ham
mers ana variety of burglars TOOLS bored hole in
the large safe and exploded heavy charge Of powder
but the safe resisted all their efforts. The only
ward OF their labor and the extraordinary risk they
took was between $50 and $40 which they found in
drawer and appropriated. 1t not yet known
whether the burglars gained admission the building
through cellar door whether OF them secreted
himself In the building before it closed and ad-
mitted the others
About l:45 q. m. John W. stringham, the night
watc1man; a was confronted by seven masked men,
armed with revOlvcrs They ordered him to ur-
render but he says that he drew his Oliver aud
fired four shots one Of which he thinks took effect.
is bulldog attacked one OF the burglars and bit him
in the hand, but he was quickly silenced by being
thrust INTO an empty mail bag Stringbam was over
come and after binding and gagging blm the burglars
carried bin upstairs. -Four of the burglars went UP
to the apartments of John Nixon the janitor bound
and gagged him, terrified his wife and daughter and
three o them stood guard the family The other
burglars then began to work the safe and continued
at it until about without eectng entrance.
They cut large hole In the wall at the rear of the
s fh@ hov eo 10 5ry r open the back Of It, aag IN
put charge OF powder in the hole and exploded it.
! Still the safe remained intact. The noise maze by
the burglars in breaking the wall and the noise Of
tho explosion were heard by people living in the
neighborhood but they thought that repairs
| being made which could not be made in the daytime
and gave the matter further attention. Just before
o'clock the burglars up the job in disgust with
out having secured anything but the money in the
| drawer and large nt mber of letters. Among the
letters was the entire mail addressed p Lorard &
Co. which is put in the firms private mail bag. he
waohman and jnni:or tell graphic stories Of the daring
raid. Stringhsm says:
al closed the front door about IL o'clock after the
| last clerk left. Accompanied by my dog ! then
went through the lower floor into the yard and came
back through the door in the Sussez-st. wing of
the building As entered the room in the rear OF the
man office five men with masks met me and each
one had arevover drawn. One of them ordered me
with an oath to surrender and aimed blow Mt my
head with the butt of his revolver. | lodged and
rereated into the at the time drawing my
revolver. fired three shots in rauid succession be-
| fore they could close me and think one of them
took effect because ono of the burglars exclaimed
got that oneV Then | knocked down and
although fought AS hard as could was overpow-
cred. They tied me hand and foot, put gag in my
month and took my revolver away They also tied "a
handkerchief over ms eyes. One of thcm sad they
would not hurt me, II | kept quiet was asked it
there much money in the safe and said there
not enough 10 pay them for their trouble. told them
the money was deposited in the bank every afternoon
aud there was nothing in the office except what had
been taken in after banking hours Some Of the burg
! lars then went upstairs aud tied janitor Nixon and
his wife The Others began to work the safe with
hammers and drills. They made good deal of noise.
1t seemed to me that about an hour had passed
when heard one of them say: Barney come and tic
this up Barney walked and the other man said
not tight just wrap the whole around II so
! blood niferWard
| held u whispered conversation and then they united
my feet and took up stairs to the top floor and
| into NKons Nixon and this wife tied fast.
| They put me In n rocking chair and lied me with
! rope Two men remained in the and the others
went down stairs heard the hammers going and then
heard three explosions and knew that they try
| ing to blow open the safe. About 1:3o o'clock the
noise ceased and supposed that the gang had lett the
building. / managed 60 loosen my hands and then
united Nixon and he released his wife. There were
men in the party and as had a good look at
five OF them believe could identity them. One was
tall aud thin and about fifty years old. He had gray
mixed whi.kers. He seemed to be the leader and II
wac he rho tried to hit with the revolver.
| Another was large man with flat face, very wide
forehead and light hair lie was dressed IN light
and seemed 10 be about thirty years old The third
tall and thin with sharp features The fourth was
still taller and he also was thin and had Il smooth,
clean -haven face. Tho fifth the heavieet man OF
the gang lie had broad shoulders. round face aud
. small fringe OF whskers under the chi.i cannot
into the building through the cellar door in SusseNs
and believe that IL true, found the door open
after they LETT"
/ S,ringham vas nervous and excited while making
his statement and contradiced himself two or three
tmcs This fact gave rise to the suspicion that he was
draw ing his Imagination Tor his facts, but Chief of
Police Murphy. after close examination became con
vinoed that he trying to tell the truth The Chief
directed him TO 20 home, have sleep and collect his
thoughts stringham has been watchman IN the
building for five years. lie is u veteran of the war,
forty three years old and lives at No 356 Ftthst.
| He wounded at the battle of Gainess Mb and
one arm is powerless. He also suffers from wound
]
cou ing out at his back.
John Nixou the anitor Ia IN old and lives with
his wife and daughter the top floor of the building
! lie says: was awakened about quarter before
II b, noise. Ny wife got out of bed, but when she
saw four in the she an back screaming.
One of the men with revolver in his hand ordered
her to keep quiet and then told me To got NJ and
dress. lie tall, thin. elderly man dressed in
black and white mash. As | was dressing he
said. Keep quiet and won't harm you The four
placed me in char near the door and tied me.
One of them Suggested that my wife should be tied.
but the loader said No, never mind her. He then
said Society compes Us to do this. Some have
this kind of work They blndtoded me with an
apron of my wiies and then Iues oned me about the
money in the safes. / told them didn't think the
feb would pay them for their trouble but OF them
said Nonsense there is $4,000 or $4,000 III the
building. could hear the noise OF the hammering
down stairs. After a while they brought Strngham up
and then heard the noise OF the EXPLOSIONS As each
went of the burg ars would say All. there goes
one and Now the Doodle ~ reached. Finally they
| lett after bidding good night all around"
Mr.. Nixon profoundly impressed with the polite-
ness displayed by the burglars and Mrs Nixon says
they showed the greatest consideration Tor her Their
hands white and soft showing, that they were
unused to hard work.
The appearance of the post Office gave ample evil
dcnce OF the raid Drawers had been pulled open and
their contents scattered the floor letters were
strewn about and pieces OF brick and mortar lay near
the safe. The aperture made in the brick wall at tho
of the safe large enough for man 10 enter.
When Postmaster Gopsill was informed OF the burg
larry he sent to this city tor Inspector to make an
investigation. Chief Murphy ia OF the opinion that
the burglars are the gang as have been commit
ting similar depredaons on the East Side III TINS CITY,
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